Keatons Compassion

Keaton Wisniewski, an 8th grader at Van Hoosen Middle School raised a whopping $1,183 for SamSmile. A quote from Keaton himself, “The world is getting out of hand, even though I know I can't change the world. I wanted to do something.” That is exactly what he did!  Keaton was introduced to SamSmile by a close family friend, AJ Hayes, who is one of Sam's former classmates and friends. AJ introduced Keaton to SamSmile and why we do what we do. He told him all about Sam and the impact he made on so many. Since Sam's passing, AJ has been writing Sam's old lacrosse number on tape to put on his helmet. He dedicated every game he played to Sam. Keaton saw an example in this and decided to follow in AJ’s footsteps. He began to put Sams initials on his helmet along with “988”, which is the suicide hotline number. AJ largely impacted Keaton’s mentality about mental health and prompted Keaton to want to make a difference. Keaton then knew that he wanted to make a difference like this for others. 

Keaton wanted to get his classmates involved to raise awareness about mental health and to also raise money for it. So, he went to his principal with some ideas. He wanted to do something that everyone could participate in like a sports game. He said he did not want it to be too hard of a game, rather something everyone could enjoy. They finally decided on a dodgeball tournament. After deciding what game to play his work was not over. He then made flyers, sold tickets at lunch, and spoke in front of his entire class about it. 

The last task to complete before the game was a prize. Keaton knew he wanted to get something that was memorable. He and the principal decided on a shield. The day of the game was a great turnout. The game was a great success and everyone had so much fun. He knew that he didn’t want to stop this after just one year. He spoke to his principal about making this an annual event and the principal was very supportive of the idea. Keaton knew that he wanted the game to be dedicated to SamSmile each year going forward. He said he wants to look back in 5-7 years and see the impact he made and know that he was able to make a difference.